Dudutech moves to connect customers and R&D

Meet the new Technical Product Team

By: Cory Smit – Dudutech Marketing and Communications

Dudutech is excited to announce the introduction of the new Technical Product Team, John Ogechah and George Mala. The newly created role comes as part of a commitment to continuous improvement and aims at connecting all arms of the business to deliver insights, facilitate feedback and provide support to the Technical Liaison Officers (TLOs) who work directly with growers.

John Ogechah, Technical Product Manager (formerly Dudutech Training Manager), is an entomologist with extensive in-field experience and a strong drive for agricultural education.

“I have spent the last 15 years of my fulfilling professional life empowering farmers with knowledge and skills on sustainable agriculture to survive and grow in the dynamic agricultural landscape.” said John. “The Product Management role is another exciting opportunity to devise solutions to farmers’ problems by steering the vision, design and execution of products that are truly good for the people, planet and profit,” he continued.

George Mala, who also shifted from the Training department, is an IPM evangelist and horticulturalist with over 20 years’ experience in the industry, 13 of which have been at Dudutech.

According to George, “unlike conventional crop protection products, biopesticides are unique in that their users require closer technical support.” He went on to say, “this role is exciting for me in that it builds on my experience in on-farm training and focuses it on providing this support to growers.”

The customer-facing function positions John and George as feedback channels between the customers and Dudutech to foster an environment for open discourse and to create awareness for and provide information on IPM in the form of training sessions. Working side-by-side with the TLOs, who have an in-depth understanding of each farm they look after, the TPLs bring new synergies into action to advise on how to drive the performance of their IPM strategy.

A key role of the TPLs is to manage extensive agronomical trials to gather a rich data set on performance, compatibility and best practices for Dudutech’s range of current and upcoming products. John and George will use the data they develop to inform improvements in production, technical operations, training and product materials.

According to Tom Mason, Dudutech MD, “the technical product roles build a robust communication channel between the infield customer experience and our manufacturing facilities and partners both locally and abroad. This will ensure that product efficacy, correct use, and compatibility with farmers programs are always central to our business practice. Enabling the farmer to maximise the value that Dudutech is able to offer.

“John Ogechah and George Mala are deeply experienced professionals who have supported our customers with technical insight and knowledge, sharing with customers in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya and the UK,” Tom said, adding that he is pleased that Dudutech can now “focus their talent and experience in a more product-centric manner.”

Tom went on to explain that, “Integrated pest management (IPM) is evolving at an incredible pace, horticulture and in turn crops such as avocado, citrus, viticulture and row crops are under further pressure to reduce residue levels in the crop and synthetic chemistry is now more than ever focused on compatibility with biological solutions. At the centre of all this, farmers need to do more with less and to remain competitive the core focus is to boost yields.”